Author: ["Romain Terazzi","Tobias Gresch","Marcella Giovannini","Nicolas Hoyler","Norihiko Sekine","Jérôme Faist"]
CITE.CC academic search helps you expand the influence of your papers.
Abstract
Esaki and Tsu’s superlattice1, made by alternating two different semiconductor materials, was the first one-dimensional artificial crystal that demonstrated the ability to tailor semiconductor properties. One motivation of this work was the realization of the Bloch oscillator2,3 and the use of its particular dispersive optical gain4,5 to achieve a tuneable source of electromagnetic radiation. However, these superlattices were electrically unstable in the steady state6. Fortunately, because it is based on scattering-assisted transitions, this particular gain does not arise only in superlattices, but also more generally in semiconductor heterostructures7,8 such as quantum cascade lasers9 (QCLs), where the electrical stability can be controlled10. Here, we show the unambiguous spectral signature of Bloch gain in a special QCL designed to enhance the latter by exhibiting laser action in the condition of weak to vanishing population inversion.Cite this article
Terazzi, R., Gresch, T., Giovannini, M. et al. Bloch gain in quantum cascade lasers. Nature Phys 3, 329–333 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys577 